The academy, especially the progressive academy, just cannot stay consistent on its philosophy regarding race.

This isn’t a problem in and of itself, certainly; the academy exists — or should exist — for a rigorous debate on such matters. The problem arises when self-appointed racial guardians start chastising and reprimanding others for not possessing the “correct” view(s) on the subject.

Which happens a lot these days.

A current situation at the University of Oklahoma is a perfect illustration. A new hire in the Native American Studies Department, Gina Stuart-Richard allegedly is a sort of Elizabeth Warren/Rachel Dolezal analogue, a blog having reported that her Native ancestry is phony.

The OU Daily reports that Stuart-Richard says the blog’s allegations are false, but the professor adds “she is not an enrolled member of the band of Mississippi Choctaws, and has never presented herself as such, but is connected to the tribe through her ancestry and notes her affiliation with the tribe on her resume.”

The blog, “run by approximately eight Native Americans,” questioned the professor’s ancestry shortly after her hiring in May. It said Stuart-Richard “isn’t an enrolled member of the tribe, nor does she have any ancestors who were members of the tribe.” It culled its information from Ancestry.com, Familysearch.com, and U.S. census records.